CAAMP 2011: The Relationship Revolution

I had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP) conference this past weekend in Toronto. It was a first-class conference with thought-provoking speakers.

One full day of the conference was dedicated to the art of selling. Barbara Corcoran from Shark’s Tank; Seth Godin, best-selling author and creative thinker; Keith Ferrazzi, a world famous expert in relationships; Sally Hogshead, speaker and author; and, Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry Ice Cream fame were the speakers.

A common theme throughout the day was that selling has changed. It used to be that selling was a transfer of information, a transfer of brand and a transfer of emotion. Seth Godin suggested that the only key aspect today is the transfer of emotion. The sense of community or, as Seth described it “tribes,” is the important factor today. To have the transfer of emotion, you need to be connected to the tribe. A tribe may be as simple as “Nike” and the people that are connected to “Nike.” As a salesperson, in order to have the transfer of emotion you need to be connected to the tribe and establish relationships to solve problems. In your business, are you connecting?

Keith Ferrazi reinforced the concept of tribes and that the new revolution is the relationship revolution. The job of a salesperson today is to solve what someone needs. An IBM study showed that your network is equal to your net worth. It takes some risk to create new relationships, so you need a system and process to manage your relationships versus managing your sales. Target individuals with whom you want to create relationships. Find a way to help and to give back. To be successful moving forward, you need to establish lifetime relationships, broaden your goal setting and lead with generosity.

Sally Hogshead agreed that salespeople need to create relationships, and took it one step further to say that you also need to be fascinating. It’s not that you learn to be fascinating, rather, you unlearn being boring. In a competitive environment, fascinating wins every time. You can choose to be the innovator or you can be comfortable. Being the best is not enough if no one notices or cares. Create relationships and be fascinating.

We have been trained to fit in; once you fit in, it is easier to ignore you. As you are making your way in business, are you connecting? In our competitive world, competence is no longer a scarce commodity. You can find competence anywhere. What are you doing to set yourself apart? Do you see your role as a problem-solver? Do you agree that you need to focus on creating relationships? This revolution is about humans creating relationships and working on the edge of the box. Set yourself apart and be fascinating.

Are you in the business of selling homes or placing mortgages or are you in the business of relationship development? What do you do to stand out from the crowd?

Kirk Bacon
Director of Education
Real Estate Council of Alberta